Good sales (in person AND online) is all about building credibility. You need to be able to show your prospects that you're knowledgeable, personable, and have their best interests at heart.

To become knowledgeable, you need to not only understand your product, but also how it compares to the competition. What do you have that the other guys don't? What do potential product buyers care about vs the "business opportunity" crowd? Prospects today more than ever demand tailored solutions to help them with their specific needs, so remember: find your niche and tailor your message to it.

Qualify your prospect AND show that you care at the same time. Yes it can be done, and absolutely needs to be done because one side reinforces the other. Here's how:

Start by getting to know your prospect. Make a positive comment about what he's wearing, or ask him how he came up with that e-mail address or that recent facebook/twitter post. This will do two things for you. First and foremost, it will get your prospect talking about himself, which will make him happy, and happy people buy. In the process, he'll likely reveal more about himself, and what his priorities are. Take note of these, as you'll want to refer to them later.

Once you've earned his trust, you can then transition into asking what his needs are, what he liked best about what he saw on your capture page, etc. Again, you want to listen more and talk less. It's not easy to do, especially when you're on the phone or with a prospect in person, but it's important. You're learning about his priorities, validating his worth as a person, and demonstrating that you care about him as a person and not just as someone to milk for money. Let's not forget either that the person asking the questions also has control of the conversation.

Be personable! This goes beyond just being "friendly," and ties back directly to what you just learned about building credibility and showing genuine intent. Prospects can see through the "fake." Go out of your way to solve a problem for them, or to go the extra mile to help them see success in sales if you're their up-line. When they see that you're there to help, they'll help you by referring others. This will not only get you more customers, but also more affiliates, who will help your business grow even more. And isn't that the name of the game in network marketing?